Rachel McAdams
Canadian actress (born 1978)

Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. A graduate of York University in 2001 with a BFA in theatre, she is known for her starring roles in comedy and drama films as well as her work in television and theater. Her accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2026, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a leading actress, her films have grossed over $3.4 billion worldwide.
McAdams made her Hollywood film debut in the comedy The Hot Chick in 2002. She rose to fame in 2004 with her portrayal of Regina George in the comedy Mean Girls and Allie Calhoun in the romantic drama The Notebook. In 2005, she starred in the romantic comedy Wedding Crashers, the psychological thriller Red Eye, and the comedy-drama The Family Stone. She was hailed by the media as Hollywood's new "it girl", and received a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
After a hiatus, McAdams gained further prominence starring in the films The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Morning Glory (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), The Vow (2012), and About Time (2013).
The public source identifies “Rachel McAdams” as canadian actress (born 1978). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Rachel, McAdams and Canadian.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q190386. VIAF identifies the subject as 37198845. The Library of Congress control number is no2004109684. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1978, 2001, 2026 and 2002.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rachel McAdams” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.